That the West is losing the sub-Sahara does not come as news in Africa itself. One leader after another has been explicit on this point, from Senegal's president ("Today, it is very clear that Europe is close to losing the battle of competition in Africa") to Botswana's president ("I find that the Chinese treat us as equals; the West treats us as former subjects") to Nigeria's president at a banquet for China's President Hu ("This is the century for China to lead the world. And when you are leading the world, we want to be very close behind you").